HR Support/Temporary Management Services- Pittsburgh, PA

Friends,

This week, as part of our continuing series of informational briefs, J.L. Nick & Associates looks at the function of Human Resources, Pittsburgh, PA, and how management services work with the business as it slowly returns, and COVID-19 stay-at-home orders are eased.

Traditionally, and in greatly generalized terms, the business community views the “Human Resources” function at best as an afterthought and, at worst, in a less-than-positive light. Senior leadership often focuses on the bottom line without fully considering HR’s value. HR issues tend to go unaddressed because of the lack of HR intervention and support to both supervisors and employees.

That is about to change as HR is thrust into a more prominent role.

Human Resources lives at the intersection of business and people. And as we emerge from lockdown in the absence of COVID-19 vaccine or established treatment, the importance of considering our employees, and by extension, the critical role HR plays is about to come into very sharp focus. People are the most valuable asset within any business. Effective HR support, which demonstrates business acumen and a thorough understanding of the bottom line, can be an invaluable tool for leadership, management, and employees.

Over the last eight weeks, we see how the role of the workforce and management has greatly changed. The news is full of examples from across the U.S. of frontline workers transitioning to home offices. Many in essential business retail environments face new expectations and responsibilities as they perform their traditional duties along with the new role of monitoring and ensuring co-workers and customers follow social distancing and mask requirements. Managers face new pressures on how to keep teams healthy and productive. Senior leaders and business owners must balance the economic realities of a new marketplace environment against a desire to provide jobs and contribute to economic resurgence. Meanwhile, all of these groups share the concern of how an inevitable COVID-19 outbreak in their workplace or in their geographic region will impact their jobs and businesses. The common thread among all of these concerns: The well-being of people in the workplace.

Effective Human Resources will be integral in establishing communication systems, policies, processes, and procedures that contribute to workplace safety, define new cultural norms and expectations, and drive the business forward. For businesses without a proactive HR function, temporary HR services might be a viable option.  For businesses looking to assess their current HR capabilities and objectives, an HR assessment might be appropriate. J.L. Nick & Associates stands prepared to provide quality support in either case.

When assessing HR needs and the potential for temporary management services, leaders should consider a series of questions:

• Do you have the capability (time, experience, bandwidth) to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Human Resources function in your organization?
• Who currently leads HR efforts at your organization? How well do they understand the business, and how are they adding value? Do they understand the need for change and have a sense of urgency?
• How will you build a professional HR function focused on the bottom line? Does the HR role need to be filled by an employee, or is this an assignment for temporary management service?  Is a blended approach a consideration?
• What was your HR budget in the past and moving forward? Temporary management services can be a cost-effective way to get high-functioning experience to bridge from a legacy HR approach to one that quickly adapts to more dynamic, emerging requirements.

For more than 30 years, developing and delivering professional HR services have been at the heart of J.L. Nick & Associates. To effectively evolve, your HR function requires experienced, objective, third-party partners.  In J.L. Nick & Associates, you have a reliable and responsible business and human resources partner. We can help whenever and wherever you need us. Learn more about us by visiting our website.

Wishing you good health and success,

John L. Nick, President, and Founder
J. L. Nick & Associates, Inc.

HR Services